Heat may be generated in an electrically conductive material submitting it to a magnetic field subject to movement. The movement of the magnetic field generates eddy currents, corresponding to Foucault's circular currents, where by placing a conductive material near to this field, a flow of electrons is generated on the induced conductive material, opposed to the effect of the magnetic field, thus generating heat. This heat may be harnessed by putting a fluid in contact with the heated metallic material, thus transferring the heat from the metallic piece to the fluid, this way increasing its temperature to the desired range. The variables that influence the amount of heat generated in such conductive material are: the strength of the magnetic field, the number of magnets, the relative space between them, the conductive material and the rotation velocity of the magnets. Others factors that affect the amount of heat generated are the resistivity, permeability, size and shape of the heated body, and the size and shape of the magnets.
An apparatus and method for heating a fluid by induction heating is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,914,065 (Kamal Alavi) document, where such apparatus comprises a non-magnetic heating element with opposing sides, a rotating piece supported by a shaft and disposed adjacent to the first side of the heating element, where the rotating piece has at least one pair of permanent magnets that generates eddy currents in the heating element when a relative movement is produced between the rotating piece and the heating element by the rotation of the shaft. A second rotating piece supported by the shaft and disposed adjacent to the second opposing side of the heating element, also having at least one pair of permanent magnets and also generating eddy currents in the heating element when a relative movement is produced between the second rotating piece and the heating element by rotation of the shaft. This setting for heating fluids, using two parallel discs facing each other, makes the operation somewhat risky, since the forces exerted on both discs are confronted which can lead to the detachment of magnets, thus requiring extra efforts to hold them secure in the disc. In addition, doubling the discs and magnets for the heating apparatus means higher costs of manufacture and higher energy consumption when functioning, without necessarily increasing the heating capacity of the fluid in comparison with alternative simpler settings.
A magnetic furnace for generation of heat used in central heating system to heat spaces is described in the WO 2014/137232 (Bil Robert) document, which comprises a water tank, discs arranged at the wall of the tank, at least one motor for rotating the discs and a frame on which everything is mounted. A source of magnetic field is arranged in the circumference of the disc, so that the rotating discs generate a magnetic field closed enough to the wall of the tank which is made from non-magnetic material, such as aluminum and its alloys, and copper and its alloys. This way, it is possible to heat the wall of the tank due to eddy currents generated by the rotating discs with the magnets.
However, just as the last invention described, the designs are complex, inevitably affecting their production and operation costs.
The problems that the prior art documents attempt to solve are related to efficiency, production costs and expected results of the efficient fluid heating, so that they can present a real alternative in comparison with traditional heating systems.
This way it is necessary to provide an apparatus for heating fluids that presents a much simpler configuration with a less expensive operation and more efficient. A magnetic induction fluid heating apparatus that is nonpolluting and suitable for domestic and industrial fluids heating processes.